Jack's Birthday Party

There are a lot of pictures here. There could have been more. I don't feel like writing the traditional peppy blog introduction bit, so take a look at the pictures and the brief synopses and pretend that I put something readworthy here.

Emma would not wear her new swimsuit, and insisted on this tiny one from last year because, and I quote, "It is a pink kind of day." Also she had some chicken. And a plate in the shape of a horse. We bought a water splashy bouncy house thing for the party. It was an awesome deal and will make us popular this summer. Best ever! Hot Ross and his chubby wife.

Dana and Sara.

He looks so suspicious here.

Grandpa and Jack off for an adventure.

Jack likes hats.

A plush Mater from my sisters? (There were a lot of helping hands shoving presents in my face and I'm not entirely sure who brought what.)

I am sad that Melissa didn't come with her pink hair.

Is it wrong to be dangerously attracted to this picture? If so, I never want to be right again!

Oh, here are all the other present pictures. I got a little claustrophobic. No touchy the face, kiddies!

Dumbo from Jim and the gang? It is so soft!

We got him a banana. Yes, we are cheap, but I am pretty sure it was his favorite gift!

Fruit snacks from Carrie.

Costo Cake!

Dana and Heather. They made a wonderful camera team. Love you girls!

Tonka truck from Grandpa JONES. This was Ross's favorite.

It is just the right size. Now if he would only stay this size forever....

Grandpa gets a little nervous.

He liked the cake- or the frosting at least.

I can't believe he is a year old. I am fairly certain we got home from the hospital last week. This boy is so much fun and brings a brand of light and joy that is all his own. I love you Jack-Boy!

The Eagle Mountain Parade

This morning Ross decided that we should go to the Eagle Mountain parade. We hadn't planned on it, but it was close, and very few exciting things ever happen close to us, so we decided to go check it out. Emma and Sara grabbed all the candy they could, which task was made challenging due to our close proximity to some professional parade veterans. (Those kids were fast!) Here are some pictures. We all know that is the only reason ya'll are here.... :)

I bought the girls Otter Pops from a super cute little entrepreneur.

Sara is pretty.

Ross is hot!

Jack is funny.

and ticklish!

We were in a great spot as lots of the entertaining entries stopped right in front of us. This guy was taken out in a wild west duel.

This cannon was for the Civil War re-enactors.

Waiting for more candy.

Westlake Marching Band. I can't help it. The band geek streak runs deep in me. Look at Sara covering her ears....

We got all kinds of swag like this hat, a frisbee, and a t-shirt in addition to lots of candy. Not bad for a spur of the moment weekend entertainment idea!

We left the parade early to get on home and prepare for Jack's birthday party, which will be posted tomorrow.

I think.

Don't quote me on that....

California Trip: Day 6- Pirate Island Pizza

OK, so this really didn't happen in California, but it was part of our vacation. Since the girls had done so well on our trip, we decided to reward them with a trip to Pirate Island Pizza. We have not stopped hearing about this place since Emma's 4th birthday party. (We also had a good coupon....) Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

He loves getting on the tables!

The girls got these paddle ball games with their tickets from the arcade games. Ross and I had fun with them.

After this we headed to my parents' house to drop off the oysters we got and to chat. While there, someone hacked into Caulene's facebook account and it was particularly hilarious. My sisters and I also had a paddle-ball tournament. Heather was awesome.

After enjoying some of my mom's yummy broccoli soup, we headed home and got ready to face the stark reality of the next day.

California Trip: Day 5- Memorial Day

We woke up and packed up our car this morning. We headed out to an old pioneer cemetary with Grandma and Grandpa Goodman, Clay and Stephanie, and their kids. We looked at all the old headstones- sadly, many of which have been vandalized. Grandma gave each of the kids a little flag and they all chose a grave of a veteran to place their flags on. I was a dummy and left my camera in the car, but it was a nice little Memorial Day activity.

Back at the ranch, we had an EXCELLENT tri-tip roast dinner that was prepared by a caterer in Ross's home ward. Apparently his parents won the dinner in a service auction that was a fundraise for the young women. It was amazing.

Just before we left, Jack got to open his very first birthday present.

This is out of order, but Jack really liked this exercise ball.

Clearly, the toy was a hit as all the cousins wanted to play with it.

Good choice, Grandma! After some yummy flag cake, I tried to get a good picture of our family with the Goodman grandparents. None of these are perfect, but I like them. I especially like that one of the cousins kept sneaking in the shot by Grandma's feet.

Then we drove and we drove and we drove and we drove home.

We got here around 5:00 in the morning, and I crashed until 11:00. I had the home stretch of driving and could not rouse Ross to help me stay awake no matter what I did- so I rolled down the windows and listened to audio books and chugged caffeine and slapped my face and anything else I could think of to stay awake. The kids were AMAZING on the trip. I was so proud of the girls especially who were very patient and calm and stayed entertained by coloring, eating snacks, watching movies, singing songs, and best of all- SLEEPING.